New in NYC: Prespa

New Murray Hill Mediterranean tapas restaurant, Prespa, is now open and serving specialties of veteran NYC chef Richard Farnabe. In a bid to appeal to budget conscious diners Prespa is offering small plates for a broad range of creative dishes. Although the focus is on smaller portions, entree-sized portions of most dishes are also available.

Menu highlights include black risotto with beet tartar, a roasted lamb chop with Moroccan spices, braised faro, fraiche dates and pomegranate yogurt sauce, and a paupiette of John Dory served with foie gras, chanterelles and a yellow wine sauce. More adventurous diners may want to opt for the sauteed frogs legs with coriander chutney and apple ginger sorbet. A prix fixe lunch menu and chef's tasting menu are also available.

The two-story space seats 75, including 10 seats at the bar, and has a small, elevated lounge area in the front.

Chef Pedigree:

• Farnabe was most recently chef de cuisine at Picholine in NYC.
• Private chef for fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger.
• Executive Chef at Montrachet
• Late-night chef at the Manhattan nightclub Lotus New York
• Got his start in NYC at Restaurant Daniel and later worked with Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Jean-Georges and then Mercer Kitchen.
• Worked for Jacques Maximin in France for ten years.
• Studied cooking at the Ecole Hotelier Beliard in Paris.

Location: 184 Lexington Avenue, between 31st and 32nd streets

Hours: Prespa is open for lunch Monday through Friday and every night for dinner.

Reservations: Call 212-810-4335. 

View the complete Prespa listing on Savory Cities.